Wondering minds want to know... Play 20 questions.

[+T0SHEA]

Okay, I will admit it, I am new. I have read many forums, but generally they keep plowing the same ground, and then it becomes blah, blah, blah. I know it may appear as though all this has been covered before, but my hope is to help newbies, like myself, that are just trying to find the information. Your input will be helpful. Please try and be concise and hopefully this will not turn into just another thread, that unravels at the seams. Please reference the question number and if you choose to answer more than 5 questions, please start a new post so it does not become so overwhelming.

But, several questions keep rolling around my mind.

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

Sometimes it is a matter of not knowing what questions to ask, do you have a question and you have been wondering about it and cannot find an answer? Post it here.

 

Thank you in advance. B

[+Keelmann And Cici]

This seems less like helping new people, and more about pushing specific agenda points, but here's my answers.

 

1. Yes, ranging from once a month to once every two months, depending on how busy I am.

2. Yes I expect them to sign. No, I don't verify unless I have a specific reason to do so.

3. Yes

4. N/A, mine are pretty easy to find.

5. Only my own. I'll only take something out of another's cache if I find it to be dangerous or inappropriate.

6. No

7. N/A, haven't done this. My understanding is archived caches are not considered when approving a new one.

8. YES, big believer in this, particularly in parks.

9. Not so far.

10. I don't really worry about anyone's stats other than my own.

11. I use google maps with distance calculations, taking into account multi and puzzle.

12. In some cases, lack of knowledge about what it is, in some cases theft of the bug. My feeling is the two step process isn't a big deal, but that's just me.

13. Rarely, in my experience.

14. Only sent one, didn't do it. I don't think sending a copy of a bug is accepted, no.

15. Not really.

16. Nope, seems clear to me.

17. No clue here.

18. Again, no opinion.

19. No.

20. No data to determine this, you'd have to have statistics on abandoned caches. Anything without that is guessing.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Yeah, not really a "getting started" issue, what?

 

20 questions, will get you 20 different (and exciting?) responses from nearly every different responder.

Many of the questions are fair and reasonable, some are... shall we say... an argument wanting to be argued.

 

I usually decline such "surveys" in a forum setting. This one could even be the basis of a thesis.

 

Too many questions with too many 'threads' trying to hold those seams together. Each one would probably be worth a thread of its' own -- some quite lengthy in their own right.

 

Not a shot any anyone/anything... just my 2¢

[+niraD]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

I had to maintain my first cache every week or two. Eventually, I had to archive it. I learned a lot from trying to maintain that cache. I drop by my current caches every couple months or so, when it's convenient, but they really haven't required much maintenance.

 

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

Yes, I expect finders to sign the log. In practice, I verify signatures only when I have a reason to question an online log.

 

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

I always trade up or trade even (although the only thing I trade for is personal signature items left by other geocachers).

 

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

Yes and no. I've given hints for my puzzle cache that weren't on the cache page. But later I added those hints to the cache page.

 

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

Disabled? No. You have to wait until they are archived. Archived? Sure. Once they're archived, they don't affect saturation. But it's worth considering why the former caches were archived, so you don't repeat the same mistakes made by the previous cache owners.

 

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

Yes. Picking up trash is also an effective stealth technique.

 

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

Yes, and yes.

 

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

So far, I've found locations where I wanted to place a cache, and then verified that they didn't conflict with existing caches. IMHO, if you have to look for holes between existing caches, then there are already plenty of caches in the area, and you should seek out new places to hide caches instead.

 

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged?

Based on my observations with new geocachers, it's often because they don't read the TB tag and treat the trackable as a trade item.

[+briansnat]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

No. I have over 250 currently active caches and regular maintenance would leave me little time for anything else. I try to respond as quickly as possible to reported problems and if I happen to be in the area I will check on a cache. For that reason some of my caches have received frequent maintenance visits while others haven't had a maintenance visit for years. If nobody mentions a problem in their log I assume that the cache is fine.

 

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

Generally yes. Most of my caches contain pens and pencils so there usually is no excuse for not signing. But if someone says they forgot, or the pen didn't work then I will take their word - unless there is a pattern of "forgetting". I only verify found it logs if I have a reason to believe someone is lying about finding the cache.

 

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

I rarely trade, but when I do I don't worry so much about the value of trade items. If I take an item worth $3 and replace it with one that cost me $2.50 I'm not going to sweat it. Sometimes my trade item is more valuable than one I took and sometimes it is less. That said I'm not going to take a new Mini Mag Light and leave an expired Sanka coupon in return. I try to be somewhere in the general ballpark as far as value.

 

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

I will provide additional clues if asked. I tend to provide detailed clues on the page because I want my caches to be found

 

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

Other people's caches no, unless I have items to replace them with. My own caches, yes

 

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

Yes. I Found a few caches along the Appalachian Trail that the ATC had ordered archived and removed. I took the containers and emailed the owners offering to mail them the caches. None replied.

 

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

You can place your own cache at the location the moment a cache is archived. If it is disabled it is considered active and you can not place a cache there. There is no set timeline. Some caches can be disabled for a significant period of time if there is a good reason. For example construction at the cache site. Generally speaking though caches should not be disabled for more than a month or two.

 

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

 

Yes

 

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

Yes, and yes. Events are one of my favorite things about geocaching

 

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

 

Yes in many cases I do. I will never ceased to be amazed by the dedication, or shall I say obsession some geocachers have with the sport and those people can run up some amazing find counts legitimately. There is also a segment of geocachers who are phonies and frauds and their find counts, to put it gently, don't reflect the number of caches they found.

 

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

Easy, I look for places without a lot of caches

 

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

No idea. If you ever find the answer to that one please let me know

 

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

I don't know about the average but I've had a few TBs that were missing for 3-4 years suddenly make a reappearance. But generally speaking when they're gone they're gone for good.

 

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

No, I think it's silly. If I find one of these proxies I do not log it because I didn't find the traveler

 

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

Yeah, they can be hard to read sometimes but I always figure it out thanks to my reading glasses.

 

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

No

 

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

The only travel bugs that I've seen come from Groundspeak, though they may be sold by other outlets.

 

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

No

 

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

No, placing geocaches should be for every geocacher who wants to.

 

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

It probably would help to some extent but even premium members have been known to leave caches unmaintained or abandon them

[+JL_HSTRE]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

 

I usually check on them when I'm in the area or in response to maintenance issues brought to my attention. I don't have a regular schedule of checking on them.

 

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

 

Yes, when possible. I have not yet verified any logs. I don't plan normally, but I could imagine some situations or particular types of caches where I might.

 

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

 

I rarely ever take swag. When I do, I try to make a reasonable exchange.

 

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

 

Yes, I usually would, if asked.

 

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

 

If I find a cache that is messy inside, I would post a NM log and explain the situation. Depending on the location and contents I might remove specific items of concern. I once removed a fishing lure that had a hook on it from a cache as it was very unsafe.

 

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

 

Yes. I have removed 4 caches that I can remember. All involved caches with months of logs clearly indicating problems with the container AND an owner that was inactive for 6 months or more (I think in 2 caches the account was disabled). 2 broken magkeys, 1 rusted out altoids tin, and 1...something made out of styrofoam that was completely in pieces.

 

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

 

I have not yet intentionally placed a new cache at the general location of an archived cache.

 

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

 

I pick up some trash, though I do not usually carry a trashbag with me. I have participated in some CITO events and may organize one myself.

 

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

 

Yes and yes.

 

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

 

Yes.

 

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

 

Patience. My area was also fairly "cache light" but I have had some where I just couldn't place a cache like I wanted. I shrugged and moved on.

 

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

 

I think TBs are just easily forgotten by some people. I've heard from several experieced caches who have accidently lost them at the bottom of their geo-backpack for months.

 

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

 

I would so say not usually.

 

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

 

I have seen it done, but I don't like it.

 

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

 

Sometimes, mostly on photocopies.

 

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

 

No.

 

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

 

n/a - never shopped for one.

 

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

 

Only occasionally, usually before a trip or because I have a TB with me that I picked up somewhere else and want a good spot to drop off.

 

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only?

 

No.

 

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

 

Reduce? Yes. Meaningfuly reduce? No. I've seen bad PM-placed caches and know very good cachers who are not PMs.

 

I would say most (but definitely not all) good cachers and good COs are PMs, but the reverse has no real correlation.

 

"Bad COs" and "bad caches" cannot be eliminated, but they can be reduced through education of fellow cachers, being a good CO yourself, and not skimping on NM and NA logs when appropriate.

[+A & J Tooling]

Q: Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

A: None placed yet as I consider myself too new to place caches yet. I currently have quite a few in my front yard and backyard being ‘tested’ against the elements and color changes in an open air environment. When I find the right spot, I’ll place them. Currently I’m waiting for deer season to end.

Q: Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

A: When they are placed, I expect a signed log. Will I verify them? Only if I see a pattern from someone not playing fairly.

Q: Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

A: I always swap fairly of equal or greater value but what is greater value? A matchbox car is worth more to me than any dollar store trash. My son loves rocks so to him a rock is worth a lot more than other bought items.

Q: If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

A: I will never give a clue. Why play the game if I have to show you where it is? Why not just sit in a chair and log the find? Pretend you figured it out when you needed someone else to tell you? Or how about go to an event and just follow everyone else to the cache and claim is as a find? Or how about getting ten groups together with cars and everyone goes their seperate ways and you all share the finds as a ‘team’?

Q: Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

A: I clean up ruined by water items but I don’t remove ‘worthless’ stuff because like I said before, worthless to who?

Q: Have you ever removed a cache completely?

A: Nope.

Q: What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

A: ?

Q: Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

A: I always take trash out. In fact I’ve made quite a bit of money picking up old metal while caching. I’ve lately started welding some of this metal into future caches to be seen if you ever visit them.

Q: Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

A: I went to one event. It isn’t my thing. I’d not ever go again.

Q: Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

A: No. See my rant above. Now, some of those might just be real. I’m not calling anyone a liar (here, I won’t).

Q: How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

A: I have been looking far and wide. Very few good spots found. I’ve found a few.

Q: When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

A: I sometimes don’t log them until I drop them because they’re in my swag bag in my trunk.

Q: On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

A: Whose? Mine?

Q: Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

A:Why take a photo? If you’re afraid to lose it, don’t play that part of the game.

Q: Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

A: I’d not take a photo copy. Why bother?

Q: Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

A: Nope. Rulez are pretty simple to follow.

Q: Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

A: Isn’t this question a commercial advertisement?

Q: Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

A: Nope. If I find one and I have one to swap, then great. If not, no problem.

Q: Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

A: Nope. Place too many restrictions on the game and you’ll lose a lot of people playing the game.

Q: Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

A: No because then you’ll create the cache police. People that have nothing better to do then judge other peoples stuff. Where do we stop? Trials to see if your standard fits my bill? Come on!

[+akkatracker]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

Yes if there is a report of something- also if i'm nearby so about once a month ish

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

I do expect people to sign the log although I understand when they forgot a pen- that's why I avoid hiding Micro's without Pens I do check especially when the log is only TFTC- I live close to all my caches bar one

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

I don't really trade alot of swag but generally yes

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

If a person DNF's one of my easy caches I will do maintenance if they are experienced or email if they are unexperienced. My caches are generally easy though

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

Hasn't really happened to me though I do take stuff if cache is overflowing

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

Haven't been asked yet though I did remove an unlisted cache which I found

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

You can adopt caches through www.geocaching.com/adopt I do do that especially as one of the top hiders in our area has breast cancer. If you want to replace an archived cache officially you have to get the owners permission but I have seen unauthorized people either maintain disabled caches for the community or place another one once archived called "xxxxxx reloaded" or somthing like that

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

Yes though I don't carry rubbish bags with me- I also double check everything to make sure its not the cache. Nearly through away a FTF as I thought it was a drug bottle

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

I have only been to two events but love them especially when some great hiders create them. It is good to meet other people and chat about caching with like-minded people

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

I do know about people who fake log their finds but we call those people losers and contact the owners.

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

Well in australia we have something called GCA (Geocaching Australia), the maps on it have a proximity function

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

Some people are just lazy and don't care about losing someones property

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

Occasionally, only when the people were on holiday, someone forgot to log it and dropped it and when the owner reinstates it

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

I don't own any but wouldn't do it

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

Not really

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

Nope- A bit of reading puts you on the right track

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

Don't own one but probably Groundspeak

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

I am a local FTF hound and don't really mind but some people are fascinated by TB's

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

People should need to find more than one or two before placing one- to get a good idea

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

I guess so as PM's are devoted to the sport- but some leave unexpectedly

Sometimes it is a matter of not knowing what questions to ask, do you have a question and you have been wondering about it and cannot find an answer? Post it here.

[+Mr. 0]

Please reference the question number and if you choose to answer more than 5 questions, please start a new post

Nope, I'm not starting a new post for every 5 questions. This seems more cluttered than doing just one post for all 20 questions.

 

1. Yes. Once in the fall to make sure everything is good to go for the winter, and once again in the spring to make sure they survived the winter. My caches generally aren't found often. I also check on them if I get a NM log, or there are a rash of DNFs. Sometimes if I have a few extra minutes, and I'm already passing near one of my caches, I might stop to check it.

2. Generally, yes. I mean that's how the game's played, but I'm not going to come down on someone who forgot a pen, or something like that. When I check on my caches I usually leaf through the logs. It's generally pretty easy to notice issues.

3. I generally do not trade.

4. If someone emails me for hints, I'll gladly give them. I place my caches to be found, not to rack up DNFs.

5. Yes. Is it accepted? I can't speak for others...but obviously because I do it, I feel it's acceptable. No, I don't encourage others to follow suit. What they do and how they do it is their business. If they want to clean out junk, fine, if not, fine.

6. Yes. I've removed my own, of course. I've also been asked in the past by TPTB to remove what remained of a cache that was abandoned. I dispursed the usable swag into other caches. Otherwise, if it's not my cache, I'm not removing it.

7. If a cache is archived, sure, put another one there. If it's just disabled, let the owner do his/her thing.

8. Yup

9. Used to. Not so much anymore because I don't have the time. Yes, I encourage others to attend. It's a great way to meet others with relevant interests

10. I don't care about find stats

11. I look for interesting areas on a map, or just places I've been to. I then look at the GC.com map and see if anything else is around there. I've never run into a situation where it's been so close that I've had to worry about the distance guidelines. I suspect that if that were the case I would go to the spot, take coords of several likely hiding spots then check them against already placed caches. If I find one that meets the requirements, I would use it. If not, then I just wouldn't place the cache.

12. I really don't know why TBs aren't logged. Can't speak for others.

13. On average, no. I have had one that reappeared after several years though, so it does happen.

14. I don't. It's fine if others do, and I would gladly move a photocopy just like a regular bug/coin.

15. No

16. No

17. I don't believe there are different companies making them. There was a slight style change back in like 2006, but the quality of both style TBs seems to be the same.

18. No. I seek what I think might be interesting, or seek parts of challenges (like one in every township of Marion county, Ohio that I'm currently working on....not to be confused with the recently released challenges that GS released). If there's a TB there, I'll usually take it unless it has a specific goal that I can in no way assist. I don't normally seek them out specifically.

19. No. I've seen caches placed by new folks that were great, and caches placed by long time premium members that stunk. Being a premium member, an old-timer, or someone with >X amount of finds does NOT in any way equate to a higher quality cache placement.

20. I don't believe it would.

Edited October 17, 2011 by Mr. 0

[+Team Dennis]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Please state approximately how often.

Only if someone reports that they need a checkup.

 

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

Yes and rarely but I have on a questionable find.

 

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

I don't trade. If I have stuff to put in caches I usually save it up as "starter swag" for one of my own caches.

 

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

I will provide additional clues if asked. I tend to provide detailed clues on the page because I want my caches to be found.

 

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

I have cleaned out caches when necessary but I don't make a habit out of it.

 

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

Yes. I found one in really bad shape and happened to have a replacement in my backpack so I swapped them and CITO'd the old one out.

 

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

What Briansnat said.

 

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

 

Yes, and as often as possible.

 

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

Yes, and yes. Great way to meet other cachers. Rarely do you meet them on the trail.

 

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

 

Probably but it doesn't affect the way I cache so no worries.

 

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

I go someplace that is not already saturated.

 

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

Good question. They get lost. Or dropped in the woods. Or under the car seat. Or in a river.

 

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

I am sure it happens but I wouldn't hold your breath if you are the owner of a missing a TB.

 

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

I have not released my first one yet...but I will soon.

 

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

Nah, I always get it right on the first try.

 

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

Nope. Pretty straight forward from day one.

 

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

Groundspeak.

 

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

No. Moving TBs is a sidegame that I enjoy but I don't go out of my way just to find a cache because it might have a TB in it. Unless it is a very special TB but I can only think of 4 caches (in 2300+ finds) that I've targeted because they had a TB in them. And both cases it was because they had a specific TB in them.

 

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

No. Even though (in my experience) it is PMs putting out most of the caches I've found it should not be a right reserved for just them. Everyone should be able to experience the joy of cache ownership.

 

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

Maybe a little, but sooner or later everyone gets away from the game or gets out entirely.

[Narcosynthesis]

As a non-owner, but enthusiastic cacher, I will try to appropriately answer what I can...

 

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? If so, do you verify the “found it” logs?

I sign every log it is physically possible to, which is my 'proof' I have visited a cache. I believe most don't cross check them regularly, unless an issue appears that warrants it - most will work on trust

 

3. Do you practice, replace taken sway with an item of greater value?

Yes, in my eyes trading down is basically petty theft.

 

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues to its location not publically visible on the cache page? Example: by email

I have gotten help from some owners in the past when I have had particular problems or questions - it makes for a more fun experience overall (ie I can figure out where I went wrong, rather than abandoning the search) but is not necessary.

 

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it?

Yes and no... One persons idea of worthless will vary from anothers, so I will tend to leave alone normally - I will only remove what is true rubbish

 

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely?

No, I have found a few in horrible condition, which I have reported appropriately - I do not own the cache, so I do not feel it appropriate to remove it without the permission of the owner - minor maintenance is acceptable though.

 

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache?

When a cache is archived, it is effectively wiped off the map and the area clear for a new cache - the only timeline is when the reviewer (ie the person who checks and approves 'needs archived' logs) decides it appropriate to archive it.

 

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”?

I will admit to having done little in this regard - the vast, vast majority of caches have been in pretty clean areas that didn't need help, barring a few that have been so bad I wouldn't think of tackling it on my own.

 

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so?

No - basically a combination of distance and time for me - it is too hard for me to get to the events I have known about to make it worthwhile, though they do seem an excellent idea, and fun for those who make it.

 

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed?

In the main, yes, some people have been geocaching for over a decade, ad even for relative newcomers there are ways to get high find counts quickly if you feel you want to (have a search for powertrails in particular). Either way if someone lies, it makes no difference to my game, so I am not bothered.

 

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? (saturation criteria)

I haven't hidden anything, but the few I have planned I did a basic survey on the map to show any nearby caches and the rough distances.

 

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Is it because, it is a two-step process and there is not a link to the TB on the cache page that you are logging a “found it’? Would this be a good idea?

Not realising what they are, forgetting, loss or theft. The reason it is the two step process is because you need the tracking code on the TB itself - used to prevent people logging it as moved when it hasn't.

 

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up?

Some do, some don't. It has happened many times though - TB's sitting in the wrong cache for a year unfound and so on...

 

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice?

Photocopies are generally a replacement for a lost TB

 

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? (Especially the photocopies or 0O, 1I, 8B etc.)

Small reflective letters can be tricky, but nothing one or two attempts won't figure out

 

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear?

Not now - I didn't realise the point of 'discover it' at first, but the more important ones were clear enough (find, drop).

 

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

The 'official' TB tags are generally the same, and the only ones I have used.

 

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

I find whatever looks interesting in the area I am in, I have never chosen a cache based on it having a TB inside.

 

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves.

I believe there should be a minimum limit of finds before you hide, but it shouldn't be limited to PM only

 

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches?

If they are only available to PM as at the moment, it would essentially ruin the game for newcomers.

If they are only hideable by PM, but findable by all, then you will certainly reduce orphaned caches, but potentially at the expensive of a huge number of good ones that will never be hidden.

 

Hopefully that has been some help.

[+Ike 13]

1. Do you maintain your caches regularly? Yes, once to twice a year unless logs note otherwise.

2. Do you expect Cachers to sign your log? Of course. I compare the paper to the online. Haven't had one liar yet.

3. Do you practice, replace taken swag with an item of greater value? I don't do swag

4. If one of your caches are particularly difficult to find, do you give clues? Occasionally

5. Do you clean out caches of the worthless, filthy, broken items, etc.? Is this an accepted practice and do you encourage it? I try to remove trash. I always remove food.

6. Have you ever removed a cache completely? Yes the CO had quit so I collected their container

7. What happens to the disabled/archived caches, can you replace them with one of your own and how do you go about doing this? Will it get approved? What is the timeline for replacement of a disabled/archived cache? You cannot adopt a listing without the previous owners permission. You can take the spot once it is archived.

8. Do you often practice the philosophy “Cache in Trash out”? Not often cause I'm a little germophobic

9. Do you attend “Events” and if so, would you encourage others to do so? I love Events and strongly encourage them.

10. Do you really believe some of the “find” stats that are being professed? It depends on the person. Some people have a different definition of Found than I do. I only worry about me.

11. How do you find locations that do not exceed the guidelines? I have found most all the local caches which helps. I use GSAK to plot circles that cover the 528 ft if needed.

12. When a TB is found, why are so many not logged? Ignorance. Some new cachers think it may just be swag. Other people are not computer saavy. Sometimes it gets lost in the bag/car. Other people just forget.

13. On an average, do lost TBs ever show up? Occasionally. Like I said some people stop caching or misplace one and then find it and it reappears. I bet the coin and TB forums have some great stories

14. Do you photocopy your TBs and send these along? Is this an accepted practice? It depends who you ask. As a coin owner I completly understand it. One thing I am looking into doing is getting a proxy from Gxproxy. Much cheaper and I get to keep the original. For dog tags you only need the code so that's easy to copy.

15. Do you find some of the codes on the TBs difficult to decipher? No, but I do find my handwriting hard to decipher.

16. Do you find the selection options (Found it, Grab it, Discovered it, etc.) unclear? No

17. Which company provided the best TBs? Is cost a factor or quality?

18. Do most often seek out new, and/ or TB caches exclusively?

19. Should placement of all future caches be placed by premium members only? I have noticed that some caches are placed by individuals who appear have not found one cache themselves. No the free option is very important.

20. Would placement of caches by premium members only, reduce the number of unmaintained or abandoned caches? By number maybe, by percentage not much. No lazy cache owners will always be lazy

 

Oh and this is a survey so IBTL

[BlueRajah]

IBTL

 

Yes... This is a survey. Forum rules prohibit them without getting permission from Groundspeak first.

So I will seal the door on it.